


Carry You With Me Always

by SinisterSound



Category: ATEEZ (Band)
Genre: But Wooyoung does, Druid!Yeosang, Elf!Seonghwa, Enchanted lockets, Fae!Hongjoong, Falling In Love, Forest Magic!AU, He’s a scholar but a badass, Living forests, M/M, Magic, Magical Creatures, Magical Forests, Potions, Sorcerer!Wooyoung, Sort of an early birthday present for Yeosang?, The Forest doesn’t care for Yeosang, Wooyoung gives Yeosang a magic locket, Wooyoung gives a metaphorical middle finger to the forest, Yeosang roasts the spirit of the forest, spells
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-14
Updated: 2020-06-14
Packaged: 2021-03-04 00:29:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 14,742
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24724573
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SinisterSound/pseuds/SinisterSound
Summary: “Don’t lose the locket, okay?Always wear it for me, please.No matter where you are… No matter what happens… It will guide you home to me.”Yeosang has no worth but to one person within the forest.
Relationships: (background), Jung Wooyoung/Kang Yeosang, Kim Hongjoong/Park Seonghwa
Comments: 12
Kudos: 387





	Carry You With Me Always

**Author's Note:**

> This is super short, but I had so much FUN writing it!! >ㅁ<  
> I absolutely love these sorts of concepts, but please go easy if there are any inaccuracies as far as their races go- I took some fictional liberties lol~   
> I hope you enjoy this sweet little fluff thing! Please let me know what you think! 
> 
> I hope you’re all safe and healthy! 
> 
> -SS  
> (Also Happy Birthday to my child Yeosang!~)

_ Don’t lose the locket, okay?  _

_ Always wear it for me, please.  _

_ No matter where you are… No matter what happens… It will guide you home to me.  _

Yeosang tripped, wincing as his leg tangled with a vine of thorns, though he barely paused long enough to feel the pain before continuing to run. 

He heard dogs barking behind him, men shouting, and the occasional sound of branches being torn out of his chasers’ way. 

His heart raced as he sprinted through the forest, his bare feet pounding as the terrain switched from dirt to grass to leaves to sticks to dirt to leaves- 

Branches snapped across his face, stinging, but he continued to run, despite the trickles of blood he could feel creeping down his skin. Fear and numbness warred in his blood as he didn’t look back, only focused on not tripping or falling, hearing them gain on him and then fall back as he lost them- 

The locket burned hot in his hand, almost too hot to hold where he clutched the chain and golden pendant so hard, it nearly created blisters against his skin as the metal dug into his palm. 

He didn’t dare loosen his grip. 

The broken chain swung wildly as he ran- missing a few links from where the guard had ripped it off Yeosang’s neck. 

Yeosang was not a powerful druid. 

He merely memorized the texts of the Old Religion and gave the information to those that needed them. 

Yeosang was not a powerful entity of the forest. Not one that was important, nor worth noting or remarking about. 

He was merely a bookcase. A holder of information that could be found in others, as well. He was rare, but not valuable. Needed, but not irreplaceable.

Not many shared his knowledge, but others could replace him easily. He was nothing but a helper to those who truly ruled and controlled the forest and the Old Magics. 

In short, the forest would not mourn him, should he die. Nor aid him, to help continue his life. 

Hence, why the huntsmen were able to grab him and drag him back towards the castle without a single leaf twitching in his defense. No roots grabbed at their wheels, no branches swung low to knock them down, no soft earth drank them down. 

Yeosang had never been taken so far from his home- so close to the humans who scorned the Old Religion and all those who remembered it. He had never felt the locket around his neck so icy cold. 

Yeosang had been nearly inside the castle gates when the man holding him had waved to a guard, and Yeosang had frantically wiggled free of his hold, tearing loose and bolting like a frightened elk. 

He was a library. A scholar. Not a fighter. He had no defenses but his wit and his speed, which were nothing to take note of. 

He had barely managed to run a single step before the guard had snatched at his neck, and while Yeosang twisted to get away, the chain keeping the locket around his neck snapped. 

_ Yeosang!  _

As if the chain breaking were a momentary link, he heard Wooyoung’s voice yelling to him, begging him to go back for it. 

Yeosang didn’t think as he whipped around grabbing the man’s arms that stood as sturdy as a tree trunk. He swung his legs up, slamming his bare feet into his broad chest hard enough to bruise his heels, but anger and desperation made him strong for a moment. 

It was enough that the man released the locket, Yeosang hitting the ground hard enough to wind himself momentarily. His head ached and his chest burned as he forced himself to his feet to run- 

_ “Why do you keep me around?” Yeosang murmured as he nearly burned his tongue on a sleeping draft held within a delicate porcelain cup.  _

_ Wooyoung frowned at him from his spot at the bottom of the bed, the two sitting up and facing each other. “Why would I not keep you around? Why would I rid myself of my one companion?”  _

_ His lips twitched, like he wanted it to be a joke, but Yeosang’s tone was too somber to truly make light of.  _

_ Yeosang stared at the dark purple liquid, already feeling himself grow tired after his sleepless night. “I am not important,” he murmured, voice warm but knowing. “You do not need to care for me so much. Nor protect me so ardently. You risk yourself for someone replaceable-”  _

_ “Perhaps you are replaceable to the forest,” Wooyoung said firmly, moving closer to Yeosang and taking the cup to set aside.  _

_ Strong fingers gripped Yeosang’s face, dark eyes ringed in gold staring deep into his soul- deeper than anything- living or dead- had ever stared.  _

_ Yeosang’s hand lifted to grasp Wooyoung’s wrist, feeling the enchanted bracelet beneath his cloak that served as a shield for him.  _

_ “Perhaps there are a dozen who could take your place among the Old Religion,” Wooyoung whispered harshly. “Perhaps the forest will not protect you. And perhaps you are replaceable to the forest.” He drew Yeosang closer- so close their auras mingled. “But you are not replaceable to me,” he hissed. “Do you understand, Yeosang?”  _

_ Yeosang felt his mind growing sluggish from the sleeping draft, but he nodded slowly.  _

_ “Maybe you are not precious to the forest and the Religion, but you are precious to me,” Wooyoung hissed, shaking Yeosang gently. “That is why I need you to come home to me, Yeosang.”  _

_ One warm hand left his cheek to press firmly against his chest- laying over the little ovular locket that was a constant gentle weight against Yeosang’s neck.  _

_ “I need to know… that you will always come back to me, Yeosang. That is why I needed to give you the locket. I need… you to come home to me,” he whispered, eyes silently begging Yeosang to do just that.  _

_ Yeosang’s eyes had begun to droop, but he nodded. “I will come home,” he whispered. “Where else… can I go? I have no home… but this one… Wooyoung.”  _

_ He slumped against Wooyoung, fast asleep after being plagued by nightmares for the early beginning of the night.  _

_ For the rest of the night, he slept deep enough that he didn’t dream. But he held a certain awareness of Wooyoung’s body against his as he slept.  _

_ He would always return home.  _

_ He had promised.  _

Yeosang didn’t know why the men were so adamant to chase down a druid. 

Didn’t they know he was useless to them? Didn’t they know he had no purpose or worth in this world but to a single person? 

He supposed hatred knew no logic, wincing as he narrowly avoided a branch threatening to drive into his stomach. 

He stumbled through bushes and bramble. Were he someone important… he might have been able to have a clear path to flee on. A guide or aid, aside from the burning locket in his hand, urging him further into the forest, growing hotter to show he was on the right path- 

He had to return home. 

The locket suddenly burned hot enough to glow, Yeosang crying out and dropping to his knees, though he refused to loosen his grip- 

An arrow flew above him- passing through where his chest would have been had he not fallen. 

Though the air was still around him, he heard a voice in his chest screaming-  _ Run! _

Hand still aching, he shoved himself to his feet, stumbling further, running faster as the heat of the necklace began to pulse, as if urging him to hurry- 

Yeosang broke through another patch of bushes, yanking his cloak free as he turned to see where he was heading- 

He froze, stomach dropping. 

He had taken a path through his forest he had never gone through before this moment, and before him stood a gorge, deep enough to grow dark, and wide enough that no human would ever make that jump. 

He shuffled back, wondering if the locket had lead him astray or if he had misunderstood-

But as he stumbled back, the locket turned ice cold, making Yeosang flinch, staring at it clenched in his shining red hand. 

“How?” he demanded weakly, hearing the deadly commotion following him. “How could I- I’ll never make it!” 

The locket warmed gently… slowly… almost like a comfort. 

Yeosang’s eyes burned as he glanced back and saw men at a far distance, knowing the dogs would be even closer. 

He stared at the golden locket, swallowing around the rock in his throat. 

“Wooyoung, I’m scared,” he whispered, as if the locket might deliver a message to him. There was no way he could make such a leap. 

But the locket… merely burned a gentle heat- like passing your hand quickly through a flame. Not fierce, but almost… almost pleading. 

A fierce hound’s growl shook him from his fear as the locket suddenly blazed white-hot in his hand. 

Yeosang cried out in pain, but it was like a whip to the rear of a horse as he jerked forward- sprinting the short distance and kicking off on the hard earth as hard as he could, clutching the locket to his chest as his body leapt through the air. 

Yeosang clenched his eyes shut, bracing himself for a death he knew was coming. There was no humanly way possible for him to make the jump. 

He felt himself begin to fall through the air, his heart rising to his throat to choke him. 

_ Wooyoung.  _

The locket pulsed warmly. 

_ Wooyoung, I’m scared-  _

_ “Don’t be.”  _

Yeosang’s eyes flew open as he slammed into the ground, blacking out instantly. 

~~~~~~~~~~

_ “Wake up.”  _

_ I don’t want to.  _

_ “Why?” _

_ Because when I wake up, I’ll be dead.  _

_ “You’re starting to worry me, Yeosang. Please wake up.”  _

_ I’ll be dead.  _

_ “You won’t be dead. When you wake up, you’ll be safe.”  _

_ I don’t want to.  _

_ “Why?” _

_ I’m scared.  _

_ “Don’t be.”  _

Yeosang opened his eyes and knew that something was wrong. 

And he was confused by that for a moment, since he felt warm and his blood wasn’t screaming for him to run. He was laying on something soft, wrapped in something cozy, and there was the gentle sound of a fire crackling that sounded like a lullaby. 

So what… was wrong?

He could smell the scent of flowers permeating the air. He frowned. 

There was the sound of something boiling. His lips pulled down. 

That wasn’t what their cabin sounded like- 

“Are you awake, finally?” 

He tensed, body instinctively shifting away from the voice that was not anything close to Wooyoung’s- 

This wasn’t their cabin, this wasn’t home- 

Yeosang’s bleary eyes took in the single-room cottage in an instant- spotting a hearth roaring away with a black pot nestled within it, a table overflowing with greenery and vials, a stack of haphazard looking books in the corner, vines growing around the inside of the cabin like an embrace- 

And an elf sitting beside the bed Yeosang was now sitting in the corner of, backed against the wall in defense. 

This was not home. 

Yeosang blinked several times, feeling dizzy. “Where-” 

He closed his fingers into a loose fist, but he was met with no warm metal in his palm. 

His eyes flew wide. “ _ Where is my- _ ”

He froze, finally actually seeing the elf knelt in front of him, rather than feeling a vague presence of ancient magic to identify it. 

A familiar, apologetic half-smile met his eyes, piercing yet gentle under unnaturally light blond hair. 

“S-Seonghwa?” Yeosang whispered, glancing around the cottage again, like that might further explain what had happened. 

“Coherent enough not to attack, now?” Seonghwa asked, shoulders relaxing. “You probably shouldn’t be moving so much so soon. The healing draft hasn’t run its course, so you’re going to be disoriented-” 

Something loosened in his chest as he registered the familiar face, knowing that he was… safe. 

As the locket had promised. 

“Yes, I can see that,” Yeosang muttered gently, resting his head in his palm. 

His empty palm. But the panic had faded slightly to a dull ache. 

“My locket,” Yeosang said without lifting his head that continued to spin. He held out a blind hand pleadingly. “My locket- where is it?”

He heard Seonghwa rise, take a single step, and return to his spot beside the bed. 

A warm piece of metal was placed in Yeosang’s palm, and he snatched it close to his chest, feeling his anxiousness and fear ebb away as the locket pulsed minisculely in his gentle hold. 

Whether it was the locket’s magic or just in his head, he felt less dizzy, less unsteady. He took a close breath, holding the locket against his heart as he lifted his eyes slowly. 

Seonghwa was picking up a beautifully carved cup made from cedarwood, holding it out to Yeosang, filled with steaming liquid. 

“Drink,” he urged gently, pressing it into Yeosang’s hand. “It will help wake your senses.” 

Still reserving one hand to hold the locket, Yeosang accepted, taking a long drink of the warming liquid. (It tasted like ordinary root tea, but knowing Seonghwa, it was mixed with all kinds of deep magic.) 

Yeosang drained the draft, handing it back to Seonghwa with a quiet utterance of thanks that Seonghwa accepted with a bow of his head, rising to his feet and moving somewhere else in the cottage. 

It was warm within this foreign home, and Yeosang stared at the crackling fire for a moment, collecting himself before clearing his throat quietly. 

“What… happened?” he requested, causing Seonghwa to turn back where he was arranging the books in the corner. “I… I remember running… and then the gorge-” 

“I was going to ask you the same thing,” Seonghwa assured him, leaving his busy work behind as he came to stand near Yeosang. “Hongjoong found you at the edge of the gorge, unconscious. It was… startling and… concerning to see you suddenly so far from the center of the woods.”

Seonghwa was never one to show grandiose emotions (at least, to anyone outside of his bonded), but Yeosang had come to appreciate the quiet ways he showed his concern. 

“You were running?” Seonghwa repeated, brows ticking down in an almost apathetic display, but Yeosang saw the concern in his eyes. “Why? From whom?” 

“Kingsmen,” Yeosang said stiffly, grip tightening on the locket protectively. “They captured me while I was gathering herbs not far from our cabin. I escaped at the castle gates, and followed the path my locket guided me on. I leapt the gorge…” 

The gorge that would have been impossible for him to leap on his own. 

Had the forest aided him? He frowned deeply. The forest would have no reason to aid him. 

“Where is Hongjoong?” Yeosang asked suddenly, noting the fae’s absence. “You said he is the one who found me…” 

“He left you in my care this morning,” Seonghwa assured him calmly, “while he went to retrieve Wooyoung.” 

“Retrieve him?” Yeosang questioned, frowning as he straightened. “Why can I not just go to him? Why bring him here?”

Seonghwa lifted a calm eyebrow. “Do you not feel it?”

Yeosang was about to ask what he was talking about. But then he focused. Actually focused. 

The locket had grown hotter in his grip, without his realizing. But even more than that… 

The forest. 

There was something shifted in the air, in the magic of the trees… Like a slightly too strong breeze, or an out of place ripple in a pond. Something still a part of the forest’s life… but out of place. 

“Is that him?” Yeosang whispered, eyes widening. “Is that Wooyoung?”

Seonghwa hummed criptically, staring out the window facing South. “We felt it since this morning. It was why Hongjoong and I went out to search for what might be wrong. Hongjoong found you, and only then did we recognize the magic disturbing the air.” 

Yeosang swallowed practically feeling the dark fear clinging to the edges of the turbulent magic. 

“Hongjoong left hours ago to retrieve him, given that we thought it would be best to calm him as soon as possible. We did not know when you would wake. Though, Wooyoung may have already been on his way, following...” 

He trailed off as Seonghwa’s eyes fell on the locket’s chain dangling from Yeosang’s fist. 

“There’s strong magic in there,” Seonghwa said, voice dark but gentle. The almost reverent tone they reserved for special, deep magic. 

“I know,” Yeosang replied, glancing down at it. His expression fell. “Wooyoung put his heart and soul into it.” 

Literally. 

“Hongjoong left by midday,” Seonghwa assured him, startling Yeosang when he placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. “Provided that Wooyoung was already out searching for you, they should be here any minute.” 

Yeosang glanced out of the cottage window, finding it almost dark enough to be night, but the buzzing insects said it was late, late evening. The thought of both of them still traveling in such darkness… 

“Can we not go to meet them?” Yeosang asked, shifting forward on the bed until his feet hung over the side. “He’s distressed- He’s scared for me. Can we not-” 

“I would not advise it,” Seonghwa said, lips quirking in quiet apologetics. “You are still weakened from your chase-” 

“I am not that weak,” Yeosang pressed, face hardening with determination as he stood to prove his point- 

His knees buckled before he’d even fully stood, tearing a surprised cry from him as Seonghwa caught him with the ease of someone who knew it would happen. 

Yeosang made a frustrated noise, trying to find his footing as Seonghwa held him by his arms, but his thighs and calves trembled with the strain of his earlier run, the sting of all his cuts and bruises accenting the ache. 

“We’ve already given you a healing draft,” Seonghwa assured him, moving Yeosang as if he weighed nothing, sitting him back on the bed like one might an unruly child. “By tomorrow morning, you will be fine. Until then, you likely won’t find it easy to move around.” 

Now that Yeosang had realized the tension of magic in the air, he couldn’t stop feeling it, knowing that it was Wooyoung searching for him- 

He swallowed his frustrations at his own weakness and nodded, head dropping to glare at his scabbed over knees and battered knuckles. 

A hand rested on his head comfortingly. 

“Everything will be fine,” Seonghwa assured him, patting his hair gently. “A day of worrying will not kill Wooyoung.” 

Yeosang glared up at him, though there was no heat behind it as he swatted the hand away. “Do not treat me like a child, just because you are several hundred years old.” 

Seonghwa’s smile was warm. “Yes, but unlike Hongjoong who becomes offended by my treatment, you do not have any magic to attack me with.” 

“No,” Yeosang said, dodging another pet. “But I do have tomes of knowledge on all of your weakest points, both intimate and otherwise, that I’m sure Hongjoong would love to be privy to.” 

Seonghwa chuckled gently, withdrawing his hand. “I forgot that your mind is your weapon.” 

“I will make do and create other weapons, if you pet me like a-” 

The door slammed open, banging against the cottage wall loud enough for Yeosang to jump as Seonghwa turned sharply to see the intruder. 

Wooyoung stood in the doorway, panting heavily with sweat on his face and cheeks flushed with adrenaline from running. His hair was windswept and messy as he stood frozen for a moment, staring into the cottage. 

Simultaneously, Seonghwa stepped aside as Wooyoung finally stumbled forward. 

“You…” 

Wooyoung collapsed into Yeosang’s arms heavily, embracing him with a body that was hot from running. His arms and legs trembled from the strain, but he held Yeosang strongly, as if afraid that something may come to snatch him away again. 

For as much as Wooyoung found relief in seeing Yeosang safe, Yeosang felt a knot in his chest unlock as he wrapped arms around Wooyoung- the locket in his fist resting against his back. 

The locket blazed hot at the contact before cooling to a warm pulse, like a rapid heart beat. 

Yeosang pressed his face to Wooyoung’s shoulder as Wooyoung’s fingers dug into the back of his robes, holding tight enough that Yeosang couldn’t have pulled away if he tried. 

“I’m alright,” Yeosang comforted, squeezing the other tightly as his voice weakend. “The locket guided me. Because of you… I’m alright.” 

The tremors that Yeosang thought to attribute to adrenaline revealed themselves in the shaking breath Wooyoung took, holding onto Yeosang desperately as he trembled weakly. 

“I was so scared,” Wooyoung whispered harshly as he clutched Yeosang desperately. “I felt you get farther away as they took you- I didn’t know what had happened. I felt you running, following the locket, and I knew it was trying to guide you but- I was  _ scared,  _ Yeosang-” 

Yeosang had been scared, too. Terrified. 

And even if Seonghwa’s presence and home were safe enough for Yeosang to forget for a moment, the instant he thought back to his chase- 

The hunters and the dogs and the brambles that almost seemed to try and slow him down as he reached the gorge… 

“I should have died,” Yeosang whispered weakly, shaking slightly as Wooyoung’s familiar arms held him tighter. “I- I reached the gorge near the edge of the forest- I could never have made that leap. I should have fallen to my death-” 

“Do not say that,” Wooyoung demanded, pulling away just enough to glare at Yeosang, his eyes flashing a beautiful gold that couldn’t hide the fear in them. 

The anger faded all too quickly as Wooyoung lowered his eyes in shame. 

“I- I couldn’t track the locket well. I thought- thought that something had gone wrong- I thought you might already be dead,” he hissed, gripping Yeosang’s arms tightly. “So do not say that you should have died.” 

“That is our fault,” Seonghwa said, Yeosang’s eyes flickering over to him as he embraced Wooyoung firmly once more. His eyes shone with genuine regret. 

But Yeosang was also distracted by Hongjoong now standing in the kitchen, having come in behind Wooyoung, looking equally tired with his arms crossed and resting his hip against the table, his hair as red as roses that grew in the foliage. His impish face was for once, uncharacteristically somber, almost making him unrecognizable. 

“There is a lot of magic around this cottage,” Hongjoong said, for once his voice not sparking with laughter as was normal for fae. “Deep magic. Some of it was here long before we ever built our home here.” 

“It was enough to… confuse the magic in the locket,” Seonghwa apologized, wincing. “Though, the fact that Wooyoung was able to follow any trace of it at all is… impressive. I hadn’t realized its magic was so deep.” 

Hongjoong was busy picking a couple of twigs from his hair as Yeosang glanced down at the unmoving form of Wooyoung pressed against him. 

He expected Wooyoung to pull away, to compose himself in front of their company, to clear his throat and thank them kindly… 

Wooyoung wasn’t moving, however, continuing to hold onto Yeosang, though his breathing had stopped shaking. 

Yeosang glanced up at Seonghwa and Hongjoong instead, expression calmer, now that he and Wooyoung were reunited. “Thank you,” he said earnestly. “For all your help… It wasn’t your battle to fight-” 

“There was hardly any fighting,” Seonghwa said, crossing his arms in a cordial shrug. 

“The forest exists as one,” Hongjoong reminded him firmly, pushing off of the table. “We defend the protectors of the forest as ardently as we defend the forest itself.” 

_ I am not a protector,  _ Yeosang wanted to remind them, but he held his tongue. 

“Thank you… regardless,” he murmured genuinely. 

Hongjoong and Seonghwa were close enough to be considered friends of theirs, in the great web of creatures and magic within the forest. There were few that they saw often enough and spoke to frequently enough to be considered a true friend. 

But ever since Seonghwa’s arrow had slain the boar that had cornered Wooyoung for wandering into its territory… 

Ever since Hongjoong had played a (frankly, unfunny) trick on Yeosang that had him walking in circles for hours while trying to get home… 

Their beginnings were perhaps rocky, but their friendship was true. 

Elves were the original defenders of the forest against the men who wandered in, looking for wood to burn and creatures to hunt. Seonghwa was likely one of the oldest remaining creatures in this ancient forest. 

Elves were known to be somber and ruthless, with a reserved disposition that none could break through- for it was the forest itself that they had pledged their arrows to, and anything that may threaten that resolved was not even worth glancing at. 

They had no need for jokes or laughter or merriment. 

Which is why Yeosang had believed (for about three years straight) that Hongjoong was lying when he claimed to be Seonghwa’s bonded. 

Hongjoong was a trickster who never seemed to be able to read a room and decide that maybe he should wait to turn the water into tadpoles. 

Yeosang was sure that Hongjoong had created an illusion, the first time they actually saw the two of them in the same place at the same time, and Seonghwa had greeted Hongjoong with a brief kiss that had stunned Wooyoung and Yeosang (and still befuddled them to this day). 

They may go months or years without seeing either of them… but the forest didn’t build friendships on frequency. 

It had been over 10 months since either of them last saw Hongjoong or Seonghwa… and they still gave aid without hesitation. 

Hongjoong lost the tired look in his eyes as he grinned, some of that playful spark gaining back. “It’s late,” he said quietly, stepping closer to Seonghwa who laid a hand across his back absently. “The bed is the both of yours for tonight. We will gather from the garden for a meal before you rest some more.” 

“Feel free to try and sleep before eating again,” Seonghwa assured Yeosang. “It should be ready within the hour.” 

Yeosang nodded in thanks as Seonghwa pressed a brief, warm kiss to Hongjoong’s lips before Hongjoong tugged away and exited the cottage to search the garden. Seonghwa busied himself with removing the pot in the fireplace and taking down carved, shallow bowls that were tucked away. 

Wooyoung was still lying awkwardly across Yeosang, one knee resting on the bed and the other dangling to the ground. 

“Come,” Yeosang urged quietly, shifting backwards and guiding Wooyoung into a more comfortable position. 

By the time they settled, Wooyoung sat beside Yeosang with their backs against the wall as Wooyoung leaned his tired head against Yeosang’s shoulder. 

Yeosang merely made sure he was comfortable before resigning himself to sitting in silence. 

However, almost as soon as they had settled, Wooyoung’s hand laid over Yeosang’s- warm compared to Yeosang’s- fingers idly brushing against the dangling locket chain. 

“It broke,” Wooyoung murmured, almost trance-like, staring blankly at the chain. 

“A guard grabbed it,” Yeosang explained, finally opening his palm to reveal the golden metal beneath it. “The chain snapped…” 

Wooyoung laid his whole hand over the locket, his eyes flashing gold and the locket heating in Yeosang’s grasp. 

When he retracted his hand calmly, the chain was whole again. 

Yeosang looped the chain over his head, letting it fall against his chest familiarly. “Thank you,” he murmured, laying a hand on Wooyoung’s thigh lightly. “It kept me safe.” 

Wooyoung hummed, fingers twitching, like he wanted to move but couldn’t bring himself to. “I’m sorry… it took me so long to find you,” he whispered, voice tight. 

Yeosang pressed his lips together at his heavy tone. “I heard you,” he assured Wooyoung, his free hand laying over the locket at his chest. “Even if it was just my imagination… I heard you telling me to run.”

Technically, it would have been the locket. But the locket was nothing more than an extension of Wooyoung’s magic and soul. 

Wooyoung’s fingers curled into a loose fist nearly hidden in the long sleeves of his robe. 

“Do not ever think you haven’t done enough for me,” Yeosang murmured firmly, taking his hand from Wooyoung’s leg and laying it over his fist. “Do not ever apologize for keeping me safe.” 

Wooyoung was silent. 

Their meal was fresh vegetables and cooked wild rice served in their shallow bowls. 

The evening was spent passing stories of things they had missed in their near year apart, though their tones were respectfully somber. Wooyoung remained quiet through most of it, but began opening his lips more as the night passed. 

Yeosang felt a weight off of his shoulders as Wooyoung chuckled along with them while Hongjoong described how angry San was when he switched his wild mushrooms for minnows, completely ruining his potion he had been brewing for three full moons. 

It wasn’t until Yeosang’s eyes began to fight to close that Seonghwa rose, gathering their plates, and suggesting they all rest. 

“By morning, you should be well enough to travel,” Seonghwa told them, moving around the little cottage as Hongjoong rose and began arranging a pile of blankets into a suitable bed for the two of them. “But, of course, you are welcome to stay as long as you’d like.” 

Yeosang tiredly thanked them for their hospitality as Wooyoung helped him lay back down (though Yeosang was capable of laying down on his own), his expression a tense sobriety. 

Yeosang, however, held his tongue from speaking out as he watched Seonghwa walk around the cottage, putting out the candles burning their wicks, until they were left in complete darkness, save for the smouldering coals of the hearth. 

He felt Wooyoung shifting around before finally laying beside Yeosang, a hand naturally falling to lay against his waist as they lay facing each other. 

Still, Yeosang held his tongue. And he could tell Wooyoung had no intention of falling asleep, his body stiff against Yeosang’s, even if the hand on his waist ran slowly up and down, as if trying to coax Yeosang to sleep. 

The cottage was silent in the peaceful darkness. 

And in the darkness, with Wooyoung’s distress still able to be tasted in their air.... Yeosang reflected. 

And he was conflicted. 

“None of us will ever be able to sleep, with how turbulent your energy is,” Wooyoung whispered, so low that no one but Yeosang would have ever heard him. The hand on Yeosang’s waist fell still, leaving a gaping hole where the stimulation had been a moment ago. 

The gorge… 

Yeosang lifted his eyes, though he could not make out much of Wooyoung’s face in the dark. “I do not need Old Magic to feel your distress,” Yeosang murmured, almost inaudibly. “I am not the only one troubled, Wooyoung.” 

The rebuttal seemed to take him by surprise, and the hand from Yeosang’s waist was suddenly gone, drawn back to Wooyoung’s chest. “Just sleep,” Wooyoung muttered stiffly, turning onto his back, no longer face to face with Yeosang. “We can talk after you’ve rested.” 

Yeosang continued to stare, though, feeling the ripples in the air around Wooyoung. “I am safe, Wooyoung,” he whispered, chest aching as the warm metal of the locket became prominent. 

“I know.” 

Yeosang was quiet for a moment before reaching out, laying a hand over Wooyoung’s heart, feeling the rapid beating there, and the rise and fall that was stiff and meticulous. 

“I’m safe,” he repeated quietly, feeling the way Wooyoung’s breathing paused for a moment. 

“Then why do you feel like you’re not?” he whispered stiffly. “If you feel safe, why can I feel such turbulent energy from you?”

Yeosang pressed his lips together, chewing the inside of his lip. “I am only trying to make sense of today.” 

“Make sense of what?” Wooyoung asked quietly. “What is distressing you so?” He sounded as if he were bracing himself for something. 

But Yeosang replaced his hand on Wooyoung’s chest in front of him firmly, staring intently in the darkness, though his expression pinched in confusion that he finally allowed to show. 

“I could not make that jump,” Yeosang whispered, conflicted as he stared at the barest hint of Wooyoung’s outline. “The gorge is too wide, there is no humanly possible way for me to have jumped it.” 

He replayed the scene again and again. The gaping crack in the earth, his legs trying to propel him over the distance that he would never make… the tug of the earth dragging him down.

“But I… I did…” Yeosang murmured in confusion. “I made it over. I should have fallen. The forest would have had to have offered me aid, but…” He paused. “But why… why would the forest help me?” he demanded quietly, heart clenching. 

Wooyoung was oddly silent for a moment. “Perhaps it simply realized your worth,” he whispered, warm and gentle, as if he truly believed it. 

Yeosang’s stomach dropped in realization. Because Wooyoung knew Yeosang’s station in life as well as anyone. 

“I have no worth to anyone in this forest but you, Wooyoung,” he said numbly, something not-quite fear settling in his chest. 

“You  _ are  _ important,” Wooyoung pressed as Yeosang gripped his arm firmly, staring at him in the darkness in barely contained horror. 

He was not important. Not to the forest. 

He had no worth but to one person. 

“What did you do, Wooyoung?” he demanded hoarsely. 

Wooyoung stared defiantly for a moment, more visible as their eyes adjusted, his jaw tense. “I didn’t do anything-” 

“The forest helped me- It brought me across the gorge,” Yeosang pressed fearfully, his grip tightening on Wooyoung. “I have no worth to the forest-”

He barely managed to keep his voice down, staring at Wooyoung fearfully. 

“It wouldn’t help me of its own choice- You gave it something, Wooyoung!” he hissed in terrified accusation, fingertips digging into the muscle of Wooyoung’s arm. “You gave it something to bargain for me-  _ What did you give it? _ ” 

The forest… was beautiful and fair and plentiful. But it was also dark and twisted and greedy and ancient. 

It cared and provided for those that it deemed important. And it ignored those that had no real purpose. 

But it did nothing for free. And it rarely asked for something superficial. Especially in return for helping a nobody like Yeosang. 

It could have demanded anything- from Wooyoung’s magic to his mortal soul. 

And Yeosang knew that Wooyoung would give it. 

“What did you give it?” Yeosang demanded fearfully, blood turning to ice the longer Wooyoung was silent. 

Wooyoung was quiet for another moment, seeming to consider if he could convince Yeosang with a lie. His fear must have shown bright enough, though, because Wooyoung sighed, gripping Yeosang’s hand tightly, causing his grip on his arm to fall away. 

“I didn’t give anything important,” he promised. “Nothing that was anything compared to your safety-” 

“Wooyoung,” Yeosang hissed, twisting their hands and grabbing Wooyoung around the wrist. “What did you-” 

He squeezed Wooyoung’s wrist. 

But he did not feel the familiar metal that had been wrapped around his wrist as constantly as he breathed. 

Yeosang stared, eyes widening as Wooyoung winced. “You… You gave it your bracelet?” he whispered. 

“The bracelet was nothing more than a safety precaution,” Wooyoung said quickly, drawing his hand away and turning his wrist over to present it to Yeosang in the darkness. “It was simply another layer of protection for me- it isn’t as if I left myself defenseless.” 

There was a visible tan line around his wrist, showing how often the bracelet had adorned him. Yeosang felt his stomach drop again. 

He was sure Hongjoong and Seonghwa could hear everything, if they hadn’t fallen asleep yet, but he didn’t particularly care as his voice rose to a quiet speaking voice, rather than a whisper. 

“Your defensive magic only protects you from other magical influences,” Yeosang pressed. “The bracelet protected you from physical attacks- What if the hunters return?” he demanded desperately. “What if you are caught unaware one day by them? You have no defense-” 

“You did not have a defense either!” Wooyoung pressed fiercely, mindful of their audience. “I gave up a single layer of protection for myself to save you, Yeosang,” he hissed. “I would rather give up my magic entirely than lose you!” 

Your magic… defined you. 

The type you had, the power you held, how deep it ran in ancient blood… To give it up was to practically expel yourself from the Old Religion. 

Wooyoung’s magic was deeply rooted in the forest. Not as ancient as Seonghwa’s, not as plentiful as Hongjoong’s… but it was woven into the fabrics of the earth and trees. 

Wooyoung’s magic was important to the forest. 

Yeosang had no Old Magic. He was useless. 

He stared, his mouth dry as Wooyoung glared, so utterly determined, it was like trying to move stone. Yeosang could see him clearly now, his eyes fully adjusted to the dim light provided by the smoulder coals of the fire. 

“I would give my magic, my soul, and my life for you, Yeosang,” he hissed. “How many years will it take for you to realize that?” 

Yeosang had lived in the forest his entire life. 

He knew it well, but only in the areas he had deemed safe to live as a holder of the ancient texts- one without the love of the forest to defend him. He lived in his little hut with his dozens of tomes of Old Religion texts that he had memorized. 

That was where Wooyoung found him- alone and silent for years without a soul to interact with. He needed help with a spell, and his magic had led him to Yeosang. 

The last person Yeosang had helped had been decades ago, and he agreed without hesitation, delighted to have something to prove his usefulness. 

For weeks, he worked with Wooyoung- often spending the night at Wooyoung’s cabin in the center of the woods at his insistence as they worked late into the night and rose early with the sun. 

Yeosang gave Wooyoung the knowledge he needed for the particular spell he wanted. 

After it was performed, a layer of ethereal bounty was laid over the forest, and Yeosang watched in satisfied joy at the success. For the first time in years, he felt as if he were worth something to this forest. 

Even though it was Wooyoung who would get the credit with the forest, who would become more favored and more loved by the ancient life within it. But for a moment… Yeosang let himself believe he had proven useful. 

He left Wooyoung, then, and prepared himself for another decade of solitude. But not even a season later, Wooyoung appeared again. 

Yeosang helped him create the shield bracelet around his wrist. Once more, spending all his time at Wooyoung’s abode. It was deep, strong magic imbued into the bracelet, and it had taken weeks to finish together, putting such strong magic into such a small object.

Over those weeks… Yeosang grew to treasure having company, rather than the solitude he’d been living in. 

Wooyoung was loud and excitable, but undeniably skilled in his arts. Half the time, they were put behind schedule because of Wooyoung delaying them in some way or another. 

However… the times that Yeosang grew to treasure most- the times that he knew would create the largest ache, when he was back alone in his cabin- were in the evenings when they were both tired from the day… 

Yeosang would sit in a chair by the fire as Wooyoung cooked them food, and the two of them would simply… talk. Over tea or a meal, they would simply sit in the firelight and chat- Yeosang telling stories of others he had helped or of his time alone, and Wooyoung describing all the different projects he wanted to start, now that he had found a reliable druid to guide him. 

Those were the moments that Yeosang knew would ache the most. Because those were the moments that made him regret being alone. 

But this time... when Yeosang made to leave at the end of their creation of the bracelet, feeling content with his usefulness… 

Wooyoung had asked him to stay. 

_ “I have… a lot of magic I want to do for the forest,” Wooyoung said, his hand still gently wrapped around Yeosang’s bicep to keep him from leaving down the stone path away from the cabin. “And I could… use your knowledge. If you are willing… my home can be yours, in exchange for your help.”  _

Yeosang felt like a flower was blooming through the frost in his heart as he stared at Wooyoung who offered him a place in his home, if Yeosang wanted it. His company and his friendship, in exchange for Yeosang’s presence and knowledge. 

Yeosang stayed. 

Wooyoung performed multitudes of complicated spells, and Yeosang ensured he stayed safe and sane during them, visiting the Clearing and triple checking his flawless knowledge in his tomes that he’d brought along. 

Wooyoung became the first friend Yeosang had ever had, in all his decades of living and serving this forest. The first person to ever ask Yeosang to stay, to return back to him… as if Yeosang himself had some worth. 

Yeosang aided Wooyoung, and Wooyoung embraced him, cheered for him, thanked him… giving Yeosang more in return than the forest had ever. Yeosang felt  _ useful  _ to Wooyoung. 

With Wooyoung… Yeosang felt as if he had worth. 

Yeosang kissed Wooyoung after the 12th season they spent together- the flower that had bloomed in his heart that first day having grown into a wild garden that housed more life than Yeosang had felt in all the years he spent alone. 

And for a moment, he thought he had made a mistake, the garden shriveling into brambles as Wooyoung seized under his touch, like a stone unmoving in the meadow- 

And then Wooyoung was pulling closer. And asking him to stay. And whispering how much Yeosang to meant to him… how much worth he had… even if the forest would never acknowledge him. 

And he never allowed Yeosang to go far. 

Yeosang had never had a person who desired him to remain after his usefulness was gone. But once the spells were complete… Wooyoung still opened his arms for Yeosang. . 

For nearly another twelve seasons, Yeosang lived with… and loved… Wooyoung. 

It was unexpected and completely shocking… when Wooyoung came up to Yeosang one night in their cabin and pressed a small, golden locket into his hands, no bigger than his thumb nail. 

_ “This is for you,” he whispered into the darkness, only illuminated by the fire beneath his cauldron. “Promise me you’ll keep it safe?” _

_ Yeosang ran his finger over the delicate gold, unlatching the clasp of the locket and opening the little hinge.  _

_ Inside was a small speck of blood and a stone wedged into the metal.  _

_ Yeosang frowned. “What is this?” he asked, even as his mind thrummed with knowledge of what exactly he was holding.  _

_ “It’s for you,” Wooyoung murmured. “To… To help keep you safe. I cannot always be near you. Sometimes, you go wandering. Or, I have to go deep into the forest for supplies, and I have no way of knowing if you’re safe...”  _

_ Wooyoung closed Yeosang’s fingers over the locket.  _

_ “I need… to know you’re safe, Yeosang,” he whispered. “It will let me know if you’re safe. And it will always guide you back to me if… something should happen.”  _

_ “I would not leave,” Yeosang said quickly, as if he could ever want to leave the one person he had a place with. But Wooyoung smiled, something a little heartbroken in it.  _

_ “Dangerous things can happen, Yeosang- we’ve already seen them happen.” The locket warmed magically fast in Yeosang’s hand. Wooyoung’s eyes flickered gold. “I couldn’t live with myself if something happened and I never knew.”  _

_ “I’m safe here,” Yeosang pressed, trying to comfort him.  _

_ “Nothing is safe in the forest,” Wooyoung murmured. “Least of all those that the forest deems replaceable. And we’ve already seen the forest cares nothing for you. If it will not protect you, I have to find a way to.” _

_ “You cannot fight the forest,” Yeosang warned him. “Something with this intent… it may anger it-”  _

_ “I have… very carefully served this forest since meeting you,” Wooyoung assured him slowly, fingertips brushing the soft skin of his wrist. “The forest owes me too much to hold a grudge. It may not be happy, but it will not harm you.”  _

_ “And what of you?” he demanded fiercely. _

_ “I am useful to the forest,” Wooyoung muttered, a bit of regret mixing with bitterness at their reality. “It will not harm me.”  _

_ Yeosang swallowed the fear in his throat, lowering his eyes.  _

_ Carefully, Yeosang opened his hand, staring at the chain that was an act of defiance against their ancient home.  _

_ A home that Wooyoung… was willing to defy… for Yeosang.  _

_ Did Yeosang truly have that much worth? To risk all this?  _

_ Wooyoung took the chain carefully, gently looping it over Yeosang’s head and watching it fall against his chest. The metal was almost too warm against his skin, but to Yeosang it felt… it felt like waking up to Wooyoung laying on top of him.  _

_ Almost uncomfortable, but following an undeniable level of home and comfort with it.  _

_ “Do not lose the locket, alright?” Wooyoung begged quietly.  _

_ Yeosang nodded, practically feeling the warmth pulse with Wooyoung’s magic.  _

_ “Always wear it for me, please,” he breathed, taking Yeosang’s hand and squeezing it.  _

_ Yeosang could feel it- there was deep magic here. Not complex magic… but the sort of deep magic that carried not only magic but pieces of soul with it.  _

_ The charm on it was nothing more than a tracking and guiding spell. But the heart of this locket held a large piece of Wooyoung’s soul.  _

_ Yeosang could sense him in it. Could feel the very essence of Wooyoung pressed to his heart, warm and beating.  _

_ “No matter where you are…” Wooyoung promised. “No matter what happens… It will guide you home to me.”  _

__

Yeosang meant nothing to the forest. He was nothing more than a pawn who carried on tradition. Replaceable by anyone the forest assigned to memorize the tomes they abided by. 

Wooyoung held deep magic. Magic that aided in keeping the forest alive and thriving. Wooyoung mattered to the forest. 

Wooyoung had survived long before he ever got that shielding bracelet- it was not detrimental to lose it. But the thought… the thought of Wooyoung giving up something that had nearly become a part of himself for so long… 

For Yeosang… 

“I do… I do realize it,” Yeosang whispered quietly, seeing Wooyoung’s distressed face soften slightly. “No matter what I say, I have always known you would give everything for me, Wooyoung.” 

“You were scared,” Wooyoung whispered suddenly, eyes slightly distant and tinged slightly golden, glowing in the night. “I could feel it, Yeosang- I could feel how scared you were-” 

“And I felt  _ you, _ ” Yeosang assured him, taking both of Wooyoung’s hands in his and holding them tightly. 

The locket’s warmth danced. 

“I  _ felt  _ you,” he practically breathed. “In the locket, guiding me, telling me to trust in it… Begging me to trust you would never let me die…I felt you, Wooyoung. I was scared, but I wasn’t alone.” 

Wooyoung was always with him. Within this locket, Yeosang felt his presence constantly. Maybe there was no clear communicative link between them with the locket, but it brought their souls so close together, they might as well be speaking. 

“You directly challenged the forest,” Yeosang murmured, staring at Wooyoung’s golden irises, “in bargaining for me… It will not let that insult pass, Wooyoung, even from you.” 

Yeosang was a nobody. To bargain that he be kept alive… was an insult to the forest who deemed him useless. 

“It cannot harm me,” Wooyoung assured him, a rough hand laying against Yeosang’s cheek, thumb brushing his skin. “And I will not let it harm you. I will burn it to the ground before I allow that-” 

Yeosang pressed a desperate hand to Wooyoung’s mouth, eyes widening. “Wooyoung, you cannot-” 

“Do you think the forest does not already know my intentions?” Wooyoung demanded in a fierce whisper. “Do you think it cannot feel that my loyalty is to you, not to it?” 

“Wooyoung-” 

“Do you think I have ever attempted to lie to the forest?” Wooyoung asked. “That I would pretend as if I would not let this entire forest burn, if it meant saving you?” 

“You cannot say that,” Yeosang begged in a hiss, gripping Wooyoung’s hand tightly. “Whether it is true or not-” 

“The forest knows,” Wooyoung assured him firmly. “From the moment I asked you to stay with me, the forest knew that I had broken my loyalty to it. It knows this. But it cannot harm me. And it would not dare harm you.” 

Yeosang opened his mouth to protest, but Wooyoung’s lips suddenly covered his, warm and slow and familiar- 

The touch was familiar, almost calming enough for Yeosang to forget about his fear. 

Wooyoung was no fool. Not when it came to his knowledge of the forest. If the forest knew of his loyalty to Yeosang… and if Wooyoung was confident in his own position within the forest… 

Wooyoung was no fool. He would not risk Yeosang by antagonizing the forest unless he were absolutely sure that the forest could not touch them. 

So despite Yeosang’s lingering fear… he returned the gentle kiss, laying a hand against Wooyoung’s chest and feeling his heart beating firmly. 

Yeosang pulled away enough to see Wooyoung’s eyes sparking gold, staring at Yeosang with that same expression that Yeosang had fought for so long. 

The one that said that Yeosang was worth everything and more. 

The one that said that regardless of the forest’s apathy to him, he would always be everything to Wooyoung. 

“Thank you,” Yeosang whispered finally, setting his fear aside as the locket pulsed against his chest, hands reaching up to take Wooyoung’s face gently between them. 

“I’m going to need your help,” Wooyoung said thickly. “I want to build more defenses around the cottage- a wider area of protection. Those men found you while you were still so close to home. I don’t want that to ever happen again-” 

“We will make you another bracelet while we are at it,” Yeosang promised, managing a weak smile. 

Certain types of magic were incompatible with Yeosang. Specific magic guards like Wooyoung’s bracelet would not be accepted by Yeosang’s brand of energy, often rejecting it violently. 

Yeosang had no magic. He had only an understanding and knowledge of the energies and magics that filled the forest. He had no ways of protecting himself, but the brand of magic that Wooyoung’s bracelet was would not work for Yeosang. 

In fact, it would drain him of his energies. 

More general protection though, like the noncontact spells surrounding the cottage and surrounding woods, those were doable. They didn’t create a physical shield- rather, they created illusions and misdirects to keep people far from their little home. 

“It will be a large strain on you,” Yeosang warned, despite knowing Wooyoung already knew this. “And I will need to gather my own resources before we can begin.” 

“Tomorrow,” Wooyoung said quietly, looking exhausted already, though his eyes sparked with determination. “Before we sleep tomorrow, I want the cottage to be safe.” 

Yeosang smiled at his tenacity. “Do not rush yourself,” he murmured, brushing a hand through Wooyoung’s locks. 

Wooyoung hummed, reaching up and catching Yeosang’s hand. “It is a worry for tomorrow,” he said quietly, holding Yeosang’s hand to his chest. “For now… sleep.” 

Yeosang made to protest, but Wooyoung was already pushing his head back down on the bed, shifting closer beside him with his arms wrapping around Yeosang’s waist.

Yeosang hadn’t realized how foreign the distance between them was until he was pressed against Wooyoung’s chest, relaxing almost instinctively in the gentle hold that was slightly tighter with memories of the day. 

Yeosang sighed quietly, resigned to it- and falling into contentment rather quickly. He truly had been terrified today, and nothing quieted those fears faster than Wooyoung’s heart beating against his. 

“I need to research further on the radius into the forest we can go with our shields,” Yeosang murmured. “I don’t wish to anger the forest further after it helped us.” 

“Mm,” Wooyoung hummed, already sounding half asleep. No doubt he was beyond exhausted after the ordeal. 

Yeosang was still in awe, as he often was, at the lengths that Wooyoung went for him. The depth with which Wooyoung treasured him… 

To fight the forest… To defy their home and- for all intents and purposes- their master… all for the replaceable bookshelf he grew to love. 

Yeosang laid a protective hand over the small of his back, feeling his breath rising and falling. 

“I’ll have to go deeper into the woods,” Yeosang warned, voie thick but content. “Not too far, but… far enough. To the Clearing.” 

Yeosang was usually granted safe passage through the forest. While it had no intention of aiding him, it would not impede his path that he traveled for his studies and research. 

He held knowledge of the forest that others did not- and the forest could not begrudge him performing his duties. In fact, it was Wooyoung who did not have the status to travel to certain sections of the forest, particularly to the north, closer to the ancient Heart. 

Yeosang was granted access on his status of a scholar- Wooyoung, however, was simply expected to protect and aid the forest without crossing into the more sacred caves and clearings. 

Wooyoung’s fingers curled into the fabric of his robes protectively. He lived in a fear that one day the forest would turn on Yeosang for crossing into their sacred clearings. “Do you want me to come with you as far as I can?” 

Yeosang was quiet for a moment before his other hand reached up to lay over the locket on his chest. “No,” He murmured into the darkness, his heart slowing down enough to find rest. “There’s no need.” 

Wooyoung’s head fell onto his chest. 

“You are always with me,” he whispered as the locket blazed with warmth once more. 

~~~~~~~~~

Yeosang was well-rested when they reached their cottage, after bidding Seonghwa and Hongjoong goodbye and thanking them for all their aid- offering their home to them whenever they should like to visit. 

He was only that well rested because Wooyoung carried him the majority of the way, ignoring Yeosang’s protests that the walk would do him good, despite his legs that still shook before long. 

However, Wooyoung was now nearly too exhausted to walk on his own, and Yeosang tisked as he helped Wooyoung get to their bed, laying him down with a scolding glare. 

“You wanted to perform the spells today,” he reminded him sharpy. “And yet you’ve exhausted yourself beyond ability.” 

“I can still do it,” Wooyoung assured him, sinking into the mattress and closing his eyes as Yeosang wiped the sweat from his eyes with his sleeve. “I simply need a brief rest.” 

“It is evening,” Yeosang reminded him firmly, brushing his hair back to allow his skin to breathe. “Save your spells for tomorrow. I still have information to gather.” 

Wooyoung’s eyes opened, flickering gold like a candle in a breeze. “You can’t be trying to head out now?” he demanded, trying to sit up despite Yeosang pushing him back down. “It will be dark soon-” 

“There is no reason for me to wait until morning,” Yeosang said gently, sitting on the edge of the bed. “It will not take long to reach the Clearing. I can gather what I need and be back before the sun has even fully set.” 

“You should not go alone,” Wooyoung fought, trying to sit up again uselessly. “What if-” 

“You cannot accompany me,” Yeosang reminded him, smiling quietly. “Did I not already tell you that you were always with me?”

Wooyoung concerned eyes flickered down to the locket around his neck, hiding beneath his robes, his jaw tightening in well-contained fear. “Yeosang… You were already taken once-” 

“No human can reach the Clearing,” he said firmly. “It is the safest place within the forest.” 

Going to the Clearing was not foreign to him- Yeosang often made the trip, especially before meeting Wooyoung, but a few times after he began living here. However, it was never after such a scare as they had had yesterday. 

He squeezed Wooyoung’s hand, smiling encouragingly. “I have you with me. I will be back before dark, I promise.” 

Wooyoung clearly didn’t want to let him go. But when Yeosang leaned in and kissed him briefly before pulling away, he didn’t stop him, simply staring as Yeosang stood. 

“Rest while I’m gone,” Yeosang requested. “I will wake you when I return.” Unconsciously, he laid a hand over the locket on his chest. 

Wooyoung swallowed, eyes flashing an uncomfortable gold. “Be safe,” he murmured, in place of any other farewell. 

Yeosang merely nodded, turning and striding from the cabin, closing the door behind himself gently. 

He knew Wooyoung would not rest until he was home. 

Yeosang followed the path he had long since memorized in his soul. His feet and mind knew nothing of where he was going, but his soul tugged him this way and that, weaving through the trees and underbrush in a way that had become familiar. 

Despite its apathy towards him… the forest was a beautiful and rich home. One Yeosng was honored to help defend and nourish. 

However, it spoiled his stomach, the thought that this beautiful place may one day turn on Wooyoung. 

It grew darker the further he went into the trees that grew thicker and closer together. They created a semi-path that twisted, forcing him to shift his body to be able to fit where he knew he needed to be. 

Suddenly, Yeosang squeezed between two trees and stood before a wide, open path running through trees that curled together overhead in a tunnel, moss and vines hanging just out of reach. 

The dirt floor was clear of stones and roots to trip him- a glow coming from the air itself to light the way, despite the trees being thick enough to block out all light. It casted everything into a blue hue, dancing like candlelight across the trees and grass. 

Almost like blue sunlight reflecting off of water- shifting and churning as it flickered with a shapeless life. 

Just standing within it, Yeosang took a sharp breath, never fully becoming accustomed to just how  _ ancient  _ this forest was. 

Older than memory and time itself… 

At times, Yeosang felt pride for it… for the fact that he had been fortunate to serve such a timeless force. It felt like being a part of something larger than himself. 

He bent down, staring at his bare feet that were buried in the soft cool soil that fell loose between his toes. The earth was rich and thick here… fed by magic and ancient presences that it absorbed like the nutrients from the sun it was denied access to. 

He walked forward slowly, feeling each press of dirt beneath his feet, glancing back but finding no footprints in the soil behind him. 

Yeosang folded his hand and continued to walk slowly through the path, eyes tracing over the blue light dancing, like water rippling across the air, staining his skin and robes as he walked a seemingly endless path. 

Yeosang would never not marvel at the ancient home around him. 

After a time, the path began to narrow, until it was only wide enough for a single person to walk through, though the height of the trees grew taller above him, until he reached two trees standing like guards. 

Their branches hung low, tangled together like a gate with no key to open it but the power running through the dirt and life of the forest itself. 

Yeosang stood before the branches that created an impenetrable wall from the ground up, reaching forward slowly with a gentle hand and laying his palm against the smooth bark, feeling the forest within every particle of its existence. 

Nothing happened. 

Yeosang frowned gently, keeping his hand in place. 

“Why do you reject me?” Yeosang asked, feeling the thrum of magic through the thin and thick branches blocking him. He ran his hand along one branch. “I have business in the Clearing.” 

The leaves of the tunnel suddenly rustled violently, like a strong wind blowing through, though the air was still, like a crowd of people crying out to him, stomping their feet in outrage. 

“Why are you angry?” Yeosang questioned, withdrawing his hand, glancing around in the blue light. “Why do you deny me?” 

_ You bring another.  _

It was audible, in the rustling leaves and the creaking trunks and the grass beginning to take up the restless call, all of it screaming at him. 

“I have no one but myself,” Yeosang swore, staring at the gate. “I require entry.” 

_ You bring another!  _

“I have brought no one to my knowledge,” Yeosang said, no panic or discomfort as he pleaded his case, though this had never happened before. 

_ Outside magic is not permitted within the Clearing.  _

One branch twitched above Yeosang’s head. 

_ You bring sorcerer. Sorcerer. Protector. You bring another.  _

Yeosang was beginning to frown too deep, glancing around the open path. “I have no one with me-” he repeated firmly. 

He broke off, eyes widening slightly as his hand rose to cover the necklace against his chest. 

The locket began to pulse, as if it read his distress. 

He swallowed, closing his fist over the golden piece beneath his robe. “I bring only a gift,” Yeosang promised firmly. “I come alone. I merely carry the gift of another.” 

Wooyoung had placed his heart and soul into the locket. 

_ Remove the outsider. He is not permitted.  _

“I will not remove my locket,” Yeosang replied steadily, gripping it tighter. “I have sworn to another that I would not remove it. Permit me- I have broken no rules of the forest.” 

_ Remove it!  _

“I will not,” Yeosang said fearlessly. “Permit me entry.” 

The rustle, the creaking, the screaming grew to nearly painful levels, outraged at his refusal, the entire tunnel seeming as if it might tear itself apart- 

Perhaps he feared what the forest may do to Wooyoung. But Yeosang knew his part within this forest well, as small as it may be. And he knew that he broke no rules by carrying another’s gift, no matter what magic it may contain. 

Yeosang did not fear the forest, nor its apathy to him. 

He had grown too used to it over his life. 

Yeosang stood firm, jaw tightening as he held the necklace protectively, unmoving. 

_ “Druid.”  _

Yeosang was not startled by the voice- a real voice, not the cries of the grass and leaves and trees. He turned slowly, expression impassive. 

Before him, the azure hue that had bathed the tunnel seemed to condense- creating almost an illusion of a human body floating in the air. It was hardly distinguishable, but in the warping and flickering light, Yeosang could make out the form of a stern face and a body that disappeared into nothing but light. 

It was impossible to label it male or female, barely even human beyond the ability to see the stiff disapproval that seemed to ebb and flow like water in the air. 

“You do me a service by appearing,” Yeosang replied honestly, bowing his head and extending his arms in respect. “Ancient One.” 

The forest was not contained within one spirit. And while Yeosang had never been granted the honor (or horror) of being given an audience with the Heart of the forest, he felt no fear when faced with the embodiment of everything that scorned him. 

For himself… he did not fear the forest. 

_ “You were once a loyal servant of mine, druid,”  _ the form said, voice as liquid and changing as candlelight, hard and soft and dangerous and loving.  _ “What has that sorcerer done to you over these years?” _

It was disapproving, highlighted with anger and an unmistakable bitter apathy. As if it was bothered that it must waste its time correcting its servant. 

“Loved me, Ancient One,” Yeosang replied plainly, not lifting his eyes from the ground. “Nothing more or less.” 

_ “He has incited rebellion from you,”  _ it corrected sternly.  _ “He has been outright in his defiance of me, all for his fondness of you… Tell me, druid- does it seem right that a servant should scorn his master, simply for another servant?”  _

“When that deference has not influenced the servant’s work for his master? Yes, I believe it is harmless.” 

Yeosang was well-versed and encased by the ancient texts he had read. He knew every line, every rule, every paragraph that told of their duties, their loyalty, their responsibility… 

He did not fear this forest that desired to make them out to be criminal. 

One thing Yeosang knew in this world… was his books. 

_ “But it has influenced it,”  _ they assured Yeosang, and he could see the blue form flickering against the dirt angrily.  _ “My sorcerer threatens its master. He tells me that he would burn me to the ground, all for a lowly servant.”  _

Yeosang was not afraid. Despite this being the culmination of all his fears… he felt as if the necklace around him was a shield between him and the quiet anger facing him. 

“I told you, Ancient One, that Wooyoung has loved me. No more, and no less.” 

_ “So he should love you more than he loves me?”  _ it demanded, finally showing a clear, audible anger. 

“I have no control over who Wooyoung would love more,” Yeosang assured the being before him, still bowed in respect. “But he continues to provide and care for you. I do not understand your anger, when he continues to be loyal.” 

_ “The sorcerer's loyalty is to  _ you.  _ Do not act as if he thought any different. He has never hidden his distaste for me. He never hated me, until he met you.” _

Yeosang pressed his lips together for a moment. “Wooyoung does not hate you,” he said firmly. “He simply believes in fairness. He simply cares for the mistreatment of another human he grew to love.” 

_ “When did I mistreat you, druid?”  _ it demanded.  _ “Where, in giving you a home, a purpose, knowledge- where was your mistreatment?”  _

Yeosang’s jaw tightened, though there was no anger there. “Neglect is mistreatment,” he said quietly. “I served you faithfully… but you care nothing for me, nor my kind who pass on your knowledge.” 

_ “A stone will not be thanked for supporting a home. That is its purpose.”  _

“Wooyoung had a purpose for me,” Yeosang said, almost bordering on harsh but staying level. “Yet he loved me when my usefulness had run out. Yet he loved me where you faced me with indifference. You allowed men to take me without any attempts to protect your servant. With such apathy, am I a servant… or merely a tool?” 

Yeosang lifted his eyes, finding the blue light flickering in agitation, the warps that created a face pulled in anger. 

“Is that why you are angry?” Yeosang asked quietly. “That there is someone who was willing to love your tool? That you would not give me love, and you find it offensive that someone would?” 

_ “His love has turned him against me,”  _ it hissed, rippling faster.  _ “And in following him, he has turned you against me-”  _

“So what will you do?” Yeosang asked, eyes darkening ever so slightly. 

“He has broken the Old Religion teachings,” the Ancient One said darkly. “He has abandoned his master. That is grounds for death.” 

Yeosang’s fist tightened over his locket as he straightened fully. “You miscite them,” he said darkly. “Wooyoung has done nothing to neglect his duties to you. You will not harm him.” 

_ “And if I do, druid?”  _ the Ancient One demanded. 

“Then I would do as he promised and burn you to the ground.” 

Yeosang had never felt anything like hatred for the forest. He begged Wooyoung not to anger it, to hold his tongue… 

But in the face of this ancient being threatening Wooyoung, for nothing more than loving Yeosang… he found anger much more willing to surface. 

He saw the form flicker, drawing back as its face warped into shock.  _ “You dare-”  _

“I have no worth to anyone in this forest, but one man,” Yeosang said fiercely, voice calm. “I will not allow you to harm him.” 

_ “So should I kill you both?”  _ it snapped, floating forward aggressively. 

“You will not harm us,” Yeosang said fearlessly, staring at it calmly. “Were that in your plans, you would have never accepted Wooyoung’s bargain.” 

The form growled in anger, lifting a wispy light that appeared as a hand. 

With a brief flash, a bracelet appeared, floating above its palm. Wooyoung’s bracelet. 

Yeosang’s jaw stiffened at the sight of it in the holds of another, even in that of his home’s. 

_ “Do you know how hard he begged me, druid?”  _ the Ancient One mused angrily.  _ “Do you understand the things he offered me… just to ensure your safety?”  _

Yeosang’s heart clenched, jaw tensing as he stared at the bracelet, stomach rolling at the thought of Wooyoung- terrified on Yeosang’s behalf, not knowing what had happened- begging the forest for aid…offering whatever it required… 

_ “He begged me… and the very first thing he offered was a life for a life…”  _

Yeosang’s fist formed tight at his side as the form stared at him, power rippling angrily. 

_ “He offered his magic… his home… his soul… And he would have given it to me, had I asked. He was quite blatant about that.”  _

Their fingers closed around the bracelet that disappeared into the wave of blue light. The figure stared at the empty space for a moment.  _ “Ensuring your safety was simple… So, in my kindness, I only asked for his protective shield.”  _

Its fist lowered to its side, staring at Yeosang darkly. 

_ “The only reason I accepted such a low offering, however, in exchange for such a low servant’s life… was sentiment.”  _ The Ancient One looked Yeosang up and down slowly.  _ “He offered me his life, his magic… but I could tell that those things… meant so little to him, that they were the first things he offered.”  _

It stared at the space the bracelet had hovered in, a mixture of bitterness and curiosity in its flickering expression. 

_ “I know how this bracelet came into being,”  _ it mused.  _ “I know what meaning it has to his heart… and when I asked for it… he finally hesitated. For only a flicker of time within his heart, but he hesitated on such an item when he offered his life and magic eagerly…”  _

Their eyes suddenly turned a sharp, accusing glare that aimed at Yeosang so intently, it felt like a blue flame licking at his skin. 

_ “All because of you, druid… Of the time the two of you spent making this… It was while making this bracelet that he fell for you, did you know that, druid?”  _ it demanded darkly.  _ “He still gave it without question, eager to save you… But he was more hesitant to give up this piece of you than to die. Do you understand what that means to me, druid?” _

Yeosang was carefully, achingly silent, his eyes stinging. 

Because he knew that the bracelet meant more to Wooyoung than just a shield. 

But his heart still twisted with the knowledge of everything he had been willing to give. Just for Yeosang. 

_ “I wondered… how someone who had been so apathetic towards me… would suddenly feel such fervor for another. I wondered… what this druid could possibly have that appealed him more than his sworn duties.”  _

“He continues to perform those duties,” Yeosang snapped sharply, glaring with his heart a mess. “He has not neglected his duties to you.” 

_ “I gave him everything,”  _ the Ancient One continued, as if Yeosang had not spoken.  _ “His magic, his purpose, his home… And yet one druid was enough to give them all away? I was furious with him,”  _ it hissed.  _ “Betrayed by my servant… For a nobody.”  _

Yeosang winced at the name, fist clenching. “I am not a nobody.” 

_ “You are what I say you are,”  _ it snapped, flickering dangerously.  _ “I gave you your life-”  _

“Then take it back,” Yeosang pressed angrily, lifting his chin. “If you are dissatisfied, take away what you’ve given us. We love this home, but it is a deeper love when you know you are loved in return. If you are angry at this betrayal, perhaps you should have loved your children better.” 

Yeosang blinked, and the blue form was suddenly pressed against him, swelling in size until it towered over him. 

Yeosang tensed, but didn’t move as the face rippled with fury, icy blue. 

The Ancient One didn’t move, continuing to loom. Yeosang was still. 

_ “Do you truly not fear me, druid?”  _ it hissed, a blue hand floating towards Yeosang’s chest.  _ “Me? Who has created everything you are? Everything you serve? Everything around you is mine.”  _

Yeosang clutched at the locket beneath his shirt, eyes hard. “I have never feared you,” he said calmly. “But only now do I realize… that I mean more to that sorcerer than I have in my decades of service to you. And because of that, I no longer mourn your lack of love. I have found it in abundance elsewhere.” 

_ “So you betray me?”  _ it shouted, looming higher, fingers turning to claws. 

“I have not betrayed you. And I will never mistreat my home… unless the master of that home wrongfully harms its servant.” 

_ “You-”  _

“Why did you appear?” Yeosang asked calmly, tilting his head back to stare at the figure above him. “Will you not allow me within the Clearing?”

_ “Not while you bring the presence of another with you,”  _ it hissed, glaring at the locket. 

“I will not remove it.” 

_ “You will follow your promise to that sorcerer, but not to the ancient texts you swore your life to?”  _ the Ancient One demanded loudly.  _ “You will not part from him, even to perform your duty to your master?”  _

It was not so simple. And Yeosang might have explained himself, but he simply stared it down, fist clenching his necklace. The forest did not care for the texts he had in his mind. It only cared for answers. 

“No. I will not.” 

The figure flickered, but when it spoke, its voice had softened to something calmer.  _ “So you admit your loyalty is to him before me?”  _ it accused. 

“He gave this to me as protection,” Yeosang said, voice level and accusing. “Something you never gave me. Why would I give him up?”

To his surprise, the figure went still, only the vaguest shift of light to keep its shape. 

Yeosang stared defiantly. “By duty, I am loyal to you,” he muttered quietly. “By my heart, I will not scorn him who has given me so much.” 

The Ancient One was still immobile, as if thinking. 

“If you will not protect your children, they will protect each other. Are you so cruel?” Yeosang whispered, the locket heating in his grip. “Will you threaten the lives of your servants, simply for defending each other? Is your ‘ _ nobody’  _ receiving love so disgusting to you?”

The figure was shrinking from its mammoth size, until it was the same size as Yeosang, floating away slightly, giving him his space. 

“Is that what you want? Revenge?” Yeosang demanded quietly. “Revenge against Wooyoung for loving me? Revenge against me for being loved? Is that why we anger you so?” 

The figure flickered gently.  _ “No, child,”  _ it finally said, voice soft and weak for the first time.  _ “No… that is not what I want.”  _

“You cannot act with indifference and expect to receive unquestioning loyalty in return,” Yeosang pressed firmly. “We will never betray you as our home, but do not expect our love in return when none was given.” 

The Ancient One lowered their eyes, staring at the dirt beneath them.  _ “I was furious,”  _ it murmured, like a stream falling over stone.  _ “But I was… intrigued. I was curious to know how a… a nobody had shifted the loyalty of my servant.”  _

The trees began rustling, as if asking to sing. 

_ “You are not a contributor to this forest,”  _ it said, staring Yeosang in the eye.  _ “You are merely a tool for others to use for my benefit.”  _

“It is an abomination that someone saw me as more than a tool?” Yeosang whispered, eyes burning. “If you do not want revenge against us, why are you here? Why are you tormenting me? Either permit me entry, or allow me to return home.” 

The Ancient One was silent, floating back and forth gently, like a rocking cradle.  _ “I do not wish for my children to hate me.”  _

“Are we children or servants?” Yeosang demanded. “Or am I a tool? I cannot be both, can I? You cannot win love with meaningless titles that hold no real bearing.” 

The figure rose up slightly, floating a bit further off the ground.  _ “You have a sharp tongue, druid.”  _

“I promised to return by sundown,” he said flatly. “I do not want that promise to be compromised.” 

_ “Do you have no love for everything I have given you?”  _ the Ancient One asked curiously, almost sounding helpless. 

“I do,” Yeosang assured it firmly. “For the hundreds of things you have given me, I am grateful. But I have a greater love for the one who has given me nothing but his heart and home.” 

It was silent, for what felt like several long minutes where Yeosang didn’t look away. 

_ “You will truly choose that sorcerer over me every time.”  _

“I will work with that sorcerer to provide for you,” Yeosang corrected. “I will love that sorcerer, and I will be loved by him as we do so. I will not abandon my home, but I will defend the one who has given me the one thing I spent my life being denied.” 

The Ancient One’s lips twisted in an unrecognizable expression. 

“Do you hate us?” Yeosang asked quietly. “For what we are?”

_ “If I hated you, I would have banished you the moment that sorcerer threatened me in exchange for you,”  _ it assured him darkly.  _ “I told you… I was curious.”  _

“Is your curiosity sated?” Yeosang questioned, straightening his robes. “I’m afraid I will not have time to visit the Clearing before dark. I would like to return home.” 

The light rippled agitatedly, like it wanted to say something but was holding back. 

Yeosang waited. 

_ “I am loved by all,”  _ the Ancient One murmured.  _ “It was not until that sorcerer… that I realized how agitating it was… to be denied that.”  _ It lifted its head, staring at Yeosang with something softer.  _ “Would you even accept it, druid?”  _ it asked.  _ “If I loved you?” _

Yeosang almost wanted to laugh. But he merely shook his head somberly, watching shock ripple across the light. 

“I no longer have a need or desire for your love,” he said calmly. “I found all I needed and more in another.” 

_ “Then what do you want from me?”  _ the Ancient One demanded, flickering. 

“Nothing,” Yeosang said, staring fearlessly. “Exactly the same thing that I have always received from you: nothing.” His hands fell limp by his sides. “I have lived without your love or your acknowledgement. I certainly have no need of it now.” 

_ “Then what would you ask of me?”  _ it snapped.  _ “You simply have no need for me- your home?”  _

“I only ask that you not harm Wooyoung,” Yeosang replied softly. “Because this is, indeed, my home, and I would never take joy in seeking revenge against it.” 

The figure scoffed, flickering out of existence almost completely, leaving only a baseless form of light- 

Suddenly it appeared again, a passive face built out of light. 

_ “I do not care for you, druid,”  _ it said darkly.  _ “Nor do I care for your sorcerer who challenges me. However… I have no plan of starting a war against myself, no matter how insolent you may be.”  _

“We were living our own lives,” Yeosang reminded it. “I was merely here to enact my duties, when you appeared. Wooyoung was merely defending his lover.”

Its lips twisted in distaste, but it fell back into apathy.  _ “Do not expect my aid,”  _ it warned.  _ “But tell your loyal dog that, as always, I will take no action against you.”  _

“Do you acknowledge that we have done nothing against you?” Yeosang asked firmly. 

The Ancient One lifted its chin.  _ “You have twisted your loyalty. That is an act against me. Though, I will allow it to pass. I cannot be bothered to take my anger out on such small servants.” _

“Swear,” Yeosang demanded. 

The Ancient One blinked, a flash of light that then darkened into a deeper azure.  _ “I have already told you I cannot be bothered-”  _

“There may come a day when you find yourself bored enough to fuel your anger into action,” Yeosang pressed, fists forming at his side as his jaw clenched. “Swear that you will not harm us. Do not simply assure me that you cannot be bothered. Swear to me that you will never harm him.” 

_ “You are an insolent little tool,”  _ it muttered darkly, glaring sharply.  _ “You challenge me in greater ways than that sorcerer ever did-”  _

“ _ Swear  _ to it.” 

For a moment, he thought he might disappear into a pile of ash. But the massless shape before him simply swelled slightly, as if taking a large breath.  _ “I swear, I will not harm you and your dog, so long as your duties remain true.”  _

Yeosang took no breath of relief. “So you acknowledge that as of now, we have not failed in our duties?”

_ “You have warped his loyalty,”  _ it hissed, resolute and bitter.  _ “You have upset the balance of the forest. You had turned a servant against me, no matter how much he may continue to perform his duties.”  _

Yeosang pressed his lips together, something almost saddened in his heart as he stared at his home. “So you’ve learned nothing. You understand nothing about us.” 

The light swelled, as if taking an angry breath.  _ “You are intriguing, druid, and that is the only reason I have not banished you. Two unruly servants is not enough to bother with.”  _

The light began to melt back into nothing, dispersing like mist. 

_ “Tomorrow, you will be granted access to the Clearing,”  _ the voice said, fading as the blue wisped away.  _ “Even with that loyal dog around your neck.”  _

“Thank you,” Yeosang said, bowing for a moment. 

The voice scoffed.  _ “Do not thank me, druid,”  _ it muttered.  _ “Know that your attitude has changed nothing. However, your annoyance has spared you from my wrath.”  _

“I have never expected change from you,” Yeosang assured it as it finally disappeared. “Change would imply that you feel anything but apathy towards my kind.” 

_ Watch it, druid,  _ it whispered in the trees and grass.  _ Your sorcerer is not strong enough to defend you against the entire forest.  _

“No,” Yeosang agreed, closing his eyes when the wind began to pick up. “But he values me enough to try.” 

The wind suddenly cut out, the leaves going eerily quiet and the trees ceasing their creaking. 

Yeosang opened his eyes slowly, feeling the familiar magic in the air, the sky nearly black with just the edges of light clinging to it as evening turned to night. 

He stood before the door of their cabin, his feet planted in the worn path leading to the wooden entrance. The locket was nearly burning hot against his skin, but Yeosang smiled quietly. 

He did not fear the forest. 

He loved too deeply to fear. 

He stepped up, pushing open the door slowly, the inside lit with familiar, warm candles that showed their home to him. 

Wooyoung lay in the bed, sitting up and pressing a hand to his chest, his eyes falling on Yeosang’s locket knowingly. 

“What happened?” Wooyoung asked before Yeosang had even closed the door. He started moving, as if intending to leave the bed, but Yeosang crossed the room swiftly, sitting beside him and keeping him seated. 

“I’m alright,” Yeosang assured him, taking his hands gently. 

“I- I don’t know what the locket was feeling,” Wooyoung said, frowning as his dark eyes glowed a gentle gold as he reached out, pressing a palm over the locket beneath his shirt in confusion. “It- It felt powerful, but- but there was no fear. Were you afraid? I couldn’t feel you clearly-” 

Wooyoung suddenly cut off, eyes widening. 

“W-What is that?” he demanded, holding onto Yeosang’s eyes and golden eyes dragging over his frame rapidly, finally staring at the necklace hidden away. “What- That magic-” He lifted his eyes to Yeosang’s, concern and fear warring. “That’s  _ ancient  _ magic, Yeosang- What in the seven hells-” 

“I was not afraid,” Yeosang promised, smiling gently as he pushed Wooyoung back down onto the bed. “But I did meet someone along the way. We can discuss it tomorrow,” Yeosang whispered, laying himself down beside Wooyoung slowly, shifting forward to press against his side. “For now… I want us to rest.” 

“Yeosang-” 

“Tomorrow,” he promised quietly, wrapping arms around Wooyoung and tucking his head against his chest firmly, breathing in the familiar scent of magic and lavender. 

He could tell Wooyoung wanted to press, but his arm simply came up around Yeosang slowly, holding him close. 

Yeosang felt at ease, letting a breath release the tension of his conversation as he held Wooyoung a bit firmer. Knowing… everything he had been willing to give up for Yeosang. 

And realizing just how much he was willing to give up in turn.

The candles lowered their lights until the cabin was back in darkness. 

“What happened, though?” Wooyoung murmured, though he was clearly still exhausted, voice slightly slurred. “Did you reach the Clearing? This magic is different- I- Who did you meet?” he demanded, holding onto Yeosang, as if someone might appear to snatch him away. 

Yeosang smiled, almost wanting to laugh about it all. 

They really were the least favorites among all the creatures of the forest. 

Part of Yeosang almost felt pride at that. The fact that loving Wooyoung caused such anger… it only made him want to love him more. 

“I’ll explain everything tomorrow,” he promised placatingly, running a comforting hand along Wooyoung’s arm that rested against his cheek gently. 

Wooyoung laid a warm hand over his, holding it gently, and even though it was too dark, Yeosang could feel the comfort it was supposed to give, despite that no comfort was needed. 

“Did something… happen at the Clearing?” Wooyoung murmured, halfway to sleep already. 

Yeosang smiled quietly. The forest could keep its anger and indifference. It could not touch them here. 

“I never entered the Clearing,” he said, brushing a thumb over his cheek gently. 

“Why not?” Wooyoung mumbled. Yeosang felt the way his face pulled down in tired confusion. 

His other hand lifted, resting against the locket warm against his skin as he leaned in, kissing Wooyoung for a brief moment, warm and familiar and home. Wooyoung made a quiet noise, tightening his grip on Yeosang’s hand in a silent question. 

Yeosang pulled away, their warm breaths mingling as he held Wooyoung gently. 

“Because you were with me,” Yeosang whispered into the darkness that held everything he ever wanted. 

He kissed him again, his aura mingling with Wooyoung’s magic that reached out for him as his hand fell over his locket that thrummed. 

“You are always with me,” he whispered. 

It sounded like a promise. 

The darkness embraced them, guarding them and their rebellion that was nothing more than a love so deep, not even ancient magic could threaten it. 

Fear was ineffective, when the one you loved was with you. 

Always with you. Always guarding. Always watching. 

Always loving. 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading!   
> I hope it wasn’t too disappointing, since I’ve been talking about it for a while! I had a lot of fun!!   
> Please let me know what you thought, lovelies! I hope you all have a good day! Stay safe! 
> 
> -SS
> 
> My Twitter and Curious Cat are both @_SinisterSound_ if you want to chat or have any questions or comments!   
> Thank you, lovelies!


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